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04.10.2018 Kenya

Kenya Buys 12 State Of The Art US Helicopters Worth $253 Million

By George Tubei - pulse.com.gh
Kenya Buys 12 State Of The Art US Helicopters Worth 253 Million
04.10.2018 LISTEN

Kenya is set to acquire six brand new US-made light attack helicopter gunships in a multi-billion shilling deal, an international arms magazine has disclosed.

In its latest edition, UK-based defence magazine IHS Jane's Defence Weekly said that the six light attack helicopters included MD Helicopters Inc (MDHI) MD530F Cayuse Warrior scout and light-attack platforms.

The purchase which comes in the middle of severe austerity measures Kenya has rolled out with vigor in a bid to raise revenue is part of the $253 million (Sh25 billion) arms deal that Nairobi signed with Washington and got the United States Congress approval in May last year.

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President Uhuru Kenayatta clad in his official military gear. (The Breaking News Kenya)

The new arms acquisitions signals President Uhuru Kenyatta's 'no retreat no surrender' resolve to continue upgrading Kenya's military capabilities despite his recent push for austerity that last month saw Sh34.33 billion shaved off from the development budget.

In recent years, Kenya has consistently upgraded its military hardware and raised its spending on the armed forces to Sh96 billion in 2016 to stand above neighbouring Ethiopia and Uganda combined, a global report said.

Nairobi's arms orders, which have stoked fears of an arms race in the region , last year included a second-hand naval gun, AK-630 30mm, from Montenegro 'for modernisation of Jasiri OPV (offshore patrol vessel)'.

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Kenyan soldiers rehearse a military parade. (The Durango Herald)

The Kenya Army says it plans to use the choppers against Somalia-based Al-Shabaab militants as well as provide back up and aerial support of the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom).

Kenya, East Africa's largest economy, has in recent years suffered deadly gun and bomb attacks from the Al-Shabaab militants who are demanding withdrawal of Kenyan troops from the Horn of Africa nation.

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Al-Shabab fighters (abcnews.)

According to the US manufacturer's contract, the helicopters will be fitted with enhanced firepower, including the FN Herstal Weapons Management System, the DillonAero Mission Configurable Armament System (MCAS) and the DillonAero fixed-forward sighting system.

Besides, the planes will also have a 62mm ballistic armour protection, FN Herstal 12.7mm HMP 400 machine gun pods and M260 seven-shot pods for 70mm rockets.

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The planes will have a 62mm ballistic armour protection, FN Herstal 12.7mm HMP 400 machine gun pods and M260 seven-shot pods for 70mm rockets. (Second Line of Defense)

The contract, which Arizona-based manufacturer MD Helicopters announced last Thursday, covers half the 12 helicopters that were approved by the US State Department in May 2017.

The deal includes 12 MD530F Cayuse Warrior light attack helicopters, machine gun pod systems, rocket launcher systems and assorted ammunition.

The planes will be delivered between April and August next year.

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